Dear Martin

By: Nic Stone

Narrated by: Dion Graham

Length: 4 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's Summary

"Powerful, wrenching.” (John Green, number-one New York Times best-selling author of Turtles All the Way Down)

"Raw and gripping." (Jason Reynolds, New York Times best-selling coauthor of All American Boys)

"A must-read!” (Angie Thomas, number one New York Times best-selling author of The Hate U Give)

Raw, captivating, and undeniably real, Nic Stone joins industry giants Jason Reynolds and Walter Dean Myers as she boldly tackles American race relations in this stunning number one New York Times best-selling debut, a William C. Morris Award Finalist.

Justyce McAllister is a good kid, an honor student, and always there to help a friend - but none of that matters to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs. Despite leaving his rough neighborhood behind, he can't escape the scorn of his former peers or the ridicule of his new classmates. Justyce looks to the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for answers. But do they hold up anymore? He starts a journal to Dr. King to find out. 

Then comes the day Justyce goes driving with his best friend, Manny, windows rolled down, music turned up - way up, sparking the fury of a white off-duty cop beside them. Words fly. Shots are fired. Justyce and Manny are caught in the crosshairs. In the media fallout, it's Justyce who is under attack.

"Vivid and powerful." (Booklist, starred review)

"A visceral portrait of a young man reckoning with the ugly, persistent violence of social injustice." (Publishers Weekly)

©2017 Nic Stone (P)2017 Listening Library

Critic Reviews

A William C. Morris Award Finalist
An ALAN / Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Finalist
A 2018 BookExpo Editors' Buzz Selection
An Indies Introduce Selection
A Kids' Indie Next List pick

For Every Black Boy In America

Absolutely the best book for young people in America during this time. The daily struggle between working hard to elevate and given in because you're labeled, is definitely real. I also like how the book showed that choices you make today can stack up against you tomorrow. My son will read this book and I will recommend it to every parent and teacher. Great Work

7 people found this helpful

Excellent narration!

This is one of the best performed audio books I’ve listened to. The narrator brings the book to life and you feel like you’re living it.

7 people found this helpful

Incredible

This book is absolutely incredible but yet reminder how things have changed and yet stayed the same. This is my 2nd book with Dion Graham as the narrator. He does such amazing. He makes it feel more like a movie then listening to a book.

7 people found this helpful

timely

book was deep. don't want to spoil it, but a 4 hour thriller. Characters well done, and Dion delivered as usual.

6 people found this helpful

Absolutely breathtaking

I enjoyed this so much! It was a hard yet beautiful read, and Im looking forward to whatever the author writes next!

6 people found this helpful

Love it!

The story kept me intrigued the whole time - emotional and relatable. Big lessons for so many of us

5 people found this helpful

Emotional, Moving, and Necessary!

Dear Martin by Nic Stone, narrated by Dion Graham is an amazing audiobook for teens and young adults, as well as adults, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, and/or SES. This is my 20th year teaching high school Spanish and English Lit & Composition in an urban setting district. I live for books like this because they are exactly what my students, and our world, needs. And, I don't mean "need" as in reading one book per year; I mean all the time, every day, all year long. Many of my students did not grow up reading and/or being read to daily. In fact, a large number of them have never completed an entire novel, not just because of the absence of a home library, either. Then, why, you ask? Because there are not enough books of this nature that exist, books that help them see a reflection of themselves and the world they live in, and books that contain characters, such as Justyce, that not only help them see the truth that exists in our world today, but also that offer solutions for possible conflicts they may face. Would you enjoy reading if you weren't able to connect with the words on the page? I wouldn't. Reading, to many of them, is viewed as more of a chore than the intended escape, reward, or opportunity for enjoyment, growth, and self-discovery. Fortunately, in the past few years, we have been blessed with the outstanding work of authors such as Nic Stone, Jason Reynolds, Angie Thomas, and Kwame Alexander, to name a few. Their hard work, dedication, and courage makes a difference in my classroom, in our lives, and slowly but surely, in our community. If I had my way, I would be teaching a YA Lit course that focuses on issues teens face in our world today. However, that is not an option, so I have made it my goal to fill the shelves of our classroom library with as many of these emotional, relevant, moving and so very necessary titles as I possibly can by these very talented authors. It's never too late to change how we think, speak, and behave. It's never to late to learn something new. And, most importantly, it's never to late to take that first step in making our world a better place.

Nic Stone has written a highly engaging, relatable novel with real-to-life characters. She brilliantly portrays the issue of social injustice in America by placing us in the world of main character, Justyce. Dion Graham's performance was outstanding, and he made my overall listening experience well worth the credit. Without hesitation, I rate Dear Martin 5/5 stars across the board. Not only is this book entertaining (you will not be able to stop listening!), but it is thought-provoking and timely. I highly recommend it to teachers, parents, and HS students. I also think it would make a great book club read because you will definitley want to discuss the events of the book and share your thoughts and feelings. I'm not sure if police officers and/or community leaders hold departmental book clubs, but this one would be an awesome pick, if so! :-)

Change is necessary, today, more than ever, and books like Dear Martin are here to help us get there. Let's open up the doors of communication, break down those walls, and move toward the positive, fulfilling future that we all desperately need and deserve. Nic Stone, thank you for this fine piece of lierature!

Thank you for reading my review. I hope it was helpful. :-)
#SocialJustice #Emotional #America #tagsgiving #sweepstakes
#race #YA #MLK #MartinLutherKing #KidsNeedDiverseBooks

4 people found this helpful

powerful yet nuanced look at the impact of racism

I loved the power of this narrative in showing how overt and systemic racism affect real people. I could have done with fewer uses of the F word, but otherwise great book.

4 people found this helpful

must listen

phenomenally written. a must read for high school on up. much needed perspective broadening occurred.

3 people found this helpful

Amazing!

This book is fantastic! I think it's completely relatable and down to earth. This is what young adults need to be reading!! Earth shatteringly good story!

3 people found this helpful